Twins' Chase De Jong designated for assignment with Martin Perez signing official

Chase De Jong, a 25-year-old righthander who posted a 3.57 ERA in four starts for the Twins last season, was designated for assignment on Wednesday.

The move was made in order to add a lefthander to the Twins starting rotation in 2019. Martin Perez, a fixture in the Texas Rangers’ rotation since arriving in the majors in 2012, on Wednesday signed the one-year, $4 million contract he agreed to earlier this month.

The Associated Press reported Perez will receive $3.5 million this year, and the team has a $7.5 million option for 2020 with a $500,000 buyout. The option price can increase to $8.5 million based on innings pitched in 2019. He also could earn $500,000 in performance bonuses this season.

Perez, who will turn 28 during the season’s second week, owns a 4.67 ERA in 141 career games with Texas. He became a free agent when the Rangers, off a career-worst 6.22 ERA in 2018, declined to exercise a $7.5 million option for 2019. Perez, who suffered a broken elbow in his non-pitching arm in December 2017, missed 10 weeks early in the 2018 season and made only two starts in September.

A native of Venezuela, Perez agreed to a contract last week and attended TwinsFest last weekend while in Minneapolis to undergo a physical exam.

De Jong was acquired in a trade-deadline deal that sent reliever Zach Duke to Seattle in July. He made a promising Minnesota debut, holding the Royals to one hit over four shutout innings on Sept. 9, and he finished the season with 13 strikeouts in 17⅔ innings for the Twins. The Twins have seven days to trade, re-sign or release him.